The main amendments to the act on the spatial plan (“területrendezési terv” in Hungarian) of Hungary and certain high priority regions (Spatial Planning Act) entered into force on 15 March 2019 aiming at the reform of spatial planning. The Spatial Planning Act rules and revises the national spatial plan, as well as the spatial plans of the agglomeration of Budapest and the Lake Balaton High Priority Holiday Zone which areas had been regulated in separate acts earlier.
The major achievement of the Spatial Planning Act is the system of plans unified in the different design levels, used by city municipalities, enlargeable and taking the land registry map as a basis. These plans make the system of the spatial planning and city development completely transparent, ensure the effectiveness of the spatial plans and facilitate the compliance with the laws.
The spatial planning instruments falling within the scope of the county spatial plan must be revised and if necessary, amended by the municipalities within two years from the date of entry of the Spatial Planning Act into force. It is an important provision for municipalities that the city municipality will not need to pay compensation for prescribing a spatial planning instrument (e.g. local building regulation) in case it is the direct consequence of the local implementation of the spatial planning laws and the government decree on the national spatial planning and building requirements.
The Spatial Planning Act determines the main aspects that need to be considered in the course of designating a new land to be zoned for development (“új beépítésre szánt terület” in Hungarian). Similarly to the earlier regulations, the Spatial Planning Act includes that the county municipality, in addition to the region zones determined by the Spatial Planmig Act, may establish specific zones for different purposes, e.g. for the protection and development of the natural, building environmental and economical qualities of the county area.
By Gabriella Galik, Partner, KCG Partners Law Firm